The recovery and disposal of petroleum, especially petroleum crude that is spilled at sea is a very serious problem. Failure to control the spilled oil can lead to the contamination of miles of shoreline with concommitant damage to natural flora and fauna, as well as to types of man-made installations that are built into the water.
Numerous methods have been devised for the clean-up of such oil spills. Surfactants have been applied to the oil to disperse it, but these are usually so rapidly diluted by the sea currents that they are ineffective. Absorbent materials which are heavier than water have been used to absorb the oil, but these sink to the bottom, and retain the oil at the bottom of the sea. This results in a slow liberation of the oil, damage to the flora and fauna at the sea bottom and pollution over a greater distance. Absorbent materials which do not sink in the water have most advantageously been utilized, typically in a sock type contaner for use as a boom. However, most of these also absorb water and thus do not perform in a completely satisfactory manner.